Bicycle shift operating device

ABSTRACT

A bicycle shift operating device is basically provided with a first operating member, a second operating member, a shift wire take-up element and a wire winding/release mechanism. The second operating member is operatively coupled to the first operating member to move with the first operating member during movement of the first operating member, and to move the first operating member during movement of the second operating member. The shift wire take-up element is rotated in a first rotational direction by the first operating member and in a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction by the second operating member. The wire winding/release mechanism is operatively coupled to the shift wire take-up element and the first and second operating members to selectively hold the shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality of shift positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/448,197 filed on May 30, 2003 (pending,allowed). The entire disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/448,197 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a bicycle shift operating device.More specifically, the present invention relates to a shift operatingdevice having a pair of operating (shifting) levers that are moved insubstantially the same rotational direction.

2. Background Information

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation aswell as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a verypopular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whetherthe bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, thebicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of thebicycle. One part of the bicycle that has been extensively redesigned isthe bicycle transmission. Specifically, a bicycle transmission typicallyincludes front and rear shifting mechanisms or shift operating devicesthat operate front and rear derailleurs to move a chain laterally fromone sprocket to another sprocket. The sprockets are usually coupled tothe front crank and the rear wheel such that a pedaling force from theride is transferred to the rear wheel via the chain.

In the past, shift operating devices have been often been utilized thatinclude one or more levers that are pivoted to wind an inner wire of acontrol cable. The wires are operatively coupled to the front and rearderailleurs to laterally shift the derailleurs and thereby move thechain between the various sprockets. These prior shifting devices canrequire uncomfortable or unnatural movements of the rider's hands tooperate. Furthermore, some of these prior shifting devices are sometimescumbersome to operate because the levers are pivoted in oppositedirections or require a significantly different shifting motion tooperate each of the levers. Moreover, some of these prior shiftingdevices can be complicated and expensive to manufacture and assemble.

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicycleshift operating device that—overcomes these problems. This inventionaddresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle shiftoperating device with a pair of operating (shifting) levers that areeasily to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle shiftoperating device having a pair of operating (shifting) levers that movein substantially the same rotational direction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle shiftoperating device that is relatively simple and inexpensive tomanufacture and assemble.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bicycleshift operating device that provides reliable shifts of the front andrear derailleurs.

The foregoing objects can basically be attained by providing a bicycleshift operating device comprising a first operating member, a secondoperating member, a shift wire take-up element and a wirewinding/release mechanism. The first operating member is arranged tomove between a first rest position and a first wire operating position.The second operating member is arranged to move between a second restposition and a second wire operating position. The second operatingmember is operatively coupled to the first operating member to move withthe first operating member during movement of the first operating memberfrom the first rest position to the first wire operating position, andto move the first operating member during movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position. The shift wire take-up element is arranged to rotatein a first rotational direction upon the movement of the first operatingmember. The shift wire take-up element is further arranged to rotate ina second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotationaldirection upon the movement of the second operating member. The wirewinding/release mechanism is operatively coupled to the shift wiretake-up element and the first and second operating members toselectively hold the shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality ofshift positions.

The foregoing objects can also basically be attained by providing abicycle shift operating device comprising a first operating member, asecond operating member, a shift wire take-up element and a wirewinding/release mechanism. The first operating member is arranged tomove between a first rest position and a first wire operating position.The second operating member is arranged to move between a second restposition and a second wire operating position. The shift wire take-upelement is arranged to rotate in a first rotational direction upon themovement of the first operating member, and arranged to rotate in asecond rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotationaldirection upon the movement of the second operating member. The wirewinding/release mechanism is operatively coupled to the shift wiretake-up element and the first and second operating members toselectively hold the shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality ofshift positions. The wire winding/release mechanism includes a powerswitching element operatively coupling the shift wire take-up element tothe first operating member to wind the shift wire take-up element uponmovement of the first operating member from the first rest position tothe first wire operating position. The power switching elementoperatively couples the shift wire take-up element to the secondoperating member to release the shift wire take-up element upon movementof the second operating member from the second rest position to thesecond wire operating position.

The foregoing objects can further be attained by providing a bicycleshift operating device comprising a first operating member, a secondoperating member, a shift wire take-up element and a wirewinding/release mechanism. The first operating member is arranged topivot about a main pivot axis in a first operating direction from afirst rest position to a first wire operating position. The secondoperating member is arranged to at least partially pivot about the mainpivot axis and to at least partially pivot about a second pivot axisthat is offset from the main pivot during movement of the secondoperating member from a second rest position to a second wire operatingposition. The shift wire take-up element is mounted on the main pivotaxis to rotate in a first rotational direction upon movement of thefirst operating member from the first rest position to the first wireoperating position and to rotate in a second rotational direction thatis opposite to the first rotational direction during the movement of thesecond operating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position. The wire winding/release mechanism is operativelycoupled to the shift wire take-up element and the first and secondoperating members to selectively hold the shift wire take-up element inone of a plurality of shift positions.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bicycle with front and rear shiftoperating devices coupled thereto in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the front shift operatingdevice in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear shift operatingdevice in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 with the bottom cover removed to show therear shift operating mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-5 with the selected parts removed to show themain biasing member, the release plate, the power switching element andthe positioning pawl of the rear shift operating mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-6 with the selected parts removed to show thepower switching element rotated to engage the release plate, of the rearshift operating mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-7 with the selected parts removed to show theintermediate plate, the power switching element and the positioning pawlof the rear shift operating mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-8 with the selected parts removed to show theshift wire take-up element, the winding ratchet member and thepositioning pawl of the rear shift operating mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-9 with the first and second shift operatingmembers in a rest position, and with selected portions removed or brokenaway for the purpose of illustration;

FIG. 11 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-10 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first shift operating membermoved or rotated to a shifting or wire operating position such that thefirst tooth of the positioning pawl has moved out of engagement with thewinding ratchet member and the second tooth of the positioning pawl hasmoved into engagement with the winding ratchet member to shift one shiftposition from the rest position of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-11 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first shift operating membermoved or rotated back to the initial rest position, but after thewinding ratchet member and the shift wire take-up element has moved oneshift position from the rest position of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-11 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first shift operating membermoved or rotated to a shift position such that the first tooth of thepositioning pawl has moved out of engagement with the winding ratchetmember and the second tooth of the positioning pawl has moved intoengagement with the winding ratchet member to shift two shift positionsfrom the rest position of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-13 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first shift operating member inan intermediate position, i.e., moving or rotating back to the initialrest position, but after the winding ratchet member and the shift wiretake-up element has moved two shift positions from the rest position ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-14 with the first and second shift operatingmembers in a rest position, and with selected portions removed or brokenaway for the purpose of illustration;

FIG. 16 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-15 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the second shift operating membermoved or rotated to a shift position such that the winding pawl portionof the power switching element has moved out of engagement with thewinding ratchet member and the release mechanism driving portion of thepower switching element has moved into engagement with the releaseplate;

FIG. 17 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-16 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first and second shift operatingmembers moved or rotated together such that the release plate is rotatedto move the first tooth of the positioning pawl out of engagement withthe winding ratchet member and the second tooth of the positioning pawlinto engagement with the winding ratchet member to shift one shiftposition from the rest position of FIG. 15

FIG. 18 is a partial bottom plan view of the rear shift operating deviceillustrated in FIGS. 3-17 with portions broken away or removed for thepurposes of illustration, and with the first and second shift operatingmembers moved or rotated back to the initial rest position, but afterthe winding ratchet member and the shift wire take-up element has movedone shift position from the rest position of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18A is a partial cross sectional view of the first and second shiftoperating members as seen along section line 18A-18A of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of selected parts of the rearshift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-18;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the first and second shift operatingmembers and the power switching element of the rear shift operatingdevice illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the first and second shift operatingmembers and the power switching element of the rear shift operatingdevice illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 22 is a bottom plan view of the washer for the rear shift operatingdevice illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 23 is a side elevational view of the washer illustrated in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a bottom plan view of the locking clip for the rear shiftoperating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 25 is a side elevational view of the locking clip illustrated inFIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a bottom plan view of the bushing for the rear shiftoperating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the bushing illustrated in FIG.26;

FIG. 28 is a bottom plan view of the first biasing member for the rearshift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 29 is a side elevational view of the first biasing memberillustrated in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a bottom plan view of the winding ratchet member for the rearshift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 31 is a side elevational view of the winding ratchet memberillustrated in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a bottom plan view of the intermediate plate of the rearshift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 33 is a side elevational view of the intermediate plate illustratedin FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a bottom plan view of the positioning element or pawl for therear shift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 35 is a side elevational view of the positioning element or pawlillustrated in FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is a bottom plan view of the power switching element for therear shift operating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 37 is a side elevational view of the power switching elementillustrated in FIG. 36;

FIG. 38 is a bottom plan view of the release plate for the rear shiftoperating device illustrated in FIGS. 3-19;

FIG. 39 is a side elevational view of the release plate illustrated inFIG. 38; and

FIG. 40 is a side elevational view of a shift operating device inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration onlyand not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3, a bicycle 10 is illustrated with arear (first) shift operating device 12 and a front (second) shiftoperating device 14 is illustrated in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. As used herein to describe theshift operating devices 12 and 14, the following directional terms“forward, rearward, above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below andtransverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer tothose directions of a bicycle equipped with the present invention.Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present inventionshould be interpreted relative to a bicycle equipped with the presentinvention.

The bicycle 10 basically includes a frame 16, a drive train ortransmission 18, a front wheel 21 and a rear wheel 22. The frame 16includes a handlebar 16 a pivotally coupled thereto. Specifically, thehandlebar 16 a is fixedly coupled to the front fork of the frame 16 tosteer the bicycle 10 via the front wheel 21. The drive train ortransmission 18 includes a rear derailleur 18 a, a front derailleur 18b, a chain C, a plurality of rear sprockets RS coupled to the rear wheel22 and a front crank FC with a plurality of front sprockets FS coupledthereto. The rear and front derailleurs 18 a and 18 b are coupled to theframe 16 to move/shift the chain C laterally between the varioussprockets RS and FS in a relatively conventional manner. The frontsprockets FS are coupled to the front crank FC, while the rear sprocketsRS are coupled to the rear wheel 22 via a free wheel to selectivelyrotate the rear wheel 22 via the chain C in order to propel the bicycle10 in a conventional manner.

The rear shift operating device 12 is operatively coupled to the rearderailleur 18 a via a rear (first) bowden control cable 23 in order toshift the rear derailleur 18 a laterally over the rear sprockets RS in arelatively conventional manner. Similarly, the front shift operatingdevice 14 is operatively coupled to the front derailleur 18 b via afront (second) bowden control cable 24 to shift the front derailleur 18b laterally over the front sprockets FS in a relatively conventionalmanner. The rear and front control cables 23 and 24 are identical,except for their lengths, and are basically conventional inconstruction. In other words, each of the control cables 23 and 24basically includes an inner wire 23 a or 24 a slidably received withinan outer casing 23 b or 24 b.

The various parts of the bicycle 10 are conventional, except for therear and front shift operating devices 12 and 14 as discussed below.Thus, the remaining parts of the bicycle 10 will not be discussed orillustrated in detail herein, except as they relate to the rear andfront shift operating devices 12 and 14. Accordingly, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that variousmodifications can be made to the various components or parts of thebicycle 10 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As mentioned above, the rear shift operating device 12 is operativelycoupled to the rear derailleur 18 a via the rear control cable 23, whilethe front shift operating device 14 is operatively coupled to the frontderailleur 18 b via the front control cable 24. In the illustratedembodiment, each of the rear and front shift operating devices 12 and 14are separate from a brake operating device. However, it will be apparentto those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the shiftoperating devices 12 and 14 could be designed to be with integrated abrake operating device. The front shift operating device 14 is identicalto the rear shift operating device 12, except that the front shiftoperating device 14 is modified to operate few gear positions, i.e.,only three shift positions. In view of the similarly in constructionbetween the shift operating devices 12 and 14, only the rear shiftoperating device 12 will be discussed and illustrated in detail herein.

Rear Shift Operating Device

Referring now to FIGS. 4-19, the rear shift operating device 12 will nowbe discussed in more detail. The rear shift operating device 12 isconfigured, as explained below, to move a chain cage of the rearderailleur 18 a laterally, which in turn shifts the chain C of thetransmission 18 laterally between the rear sprockets RS. In any event,the rear shift operating device 12 preferably has a number (e.g., eight)of shift positions that corresponds to the number (e.g., eight) of therear sprockets RS. Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from this disclosure that the rear derailleur 18 a and the rearshift operating device 12 could be designed with a different number(fewer or more) of shift positions as needed and/or desired.

The rear shift operating device 12 basically includes a mountingassembly 31 (best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4), an operating mechanism 32(best seen in FIG. 10), a shift wire take-up element 33 (best seen inFIGS. 9 and 19), a wire winding/release mechanism 34 (best seen in FIG.7) and a gear indicator 35 (best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4). As best seen inFIG. 5, the operating mechanism 32, the shift wire take-up element 33,the wire winding/release mechanism 34 and the gear indicator 35 arecoupled to the mounting assembly 31.

The mounting assembly 31 basically includes a housing portion 40, aclamping portion 41 and a shift cable adjusting unit 42. The particularstructure of the mounting assembly 31 is not critical to the presentinvention, and thus, will not be discussed or illustrated in detailherein. Generally, the housing portion 40 is constructed of two coversor pieces 40 a and 40 b that enclose the operating mechanism 32, theshift wire take-up element 33 and the wire winding/release mechanism 34.The covers 40 a and 40 b are constructed of a rigid material such as ametal or rigid plastic. The lower cover 40 b is preferably releasablycoupled to the upper cover 40 a in a conventional manner. For example,the covers 40 a and 40 b are fixedly coupled together by one or morescrews (not shown) or other suitable fasteners.

The gear indicator 35 is fixedly coupled to the upper cover 40 a andoperatively coupled to the shift wire take-up element 33. Rotation ofthe shift wire take-up element 33 causes a pointer in the gear indicator35 to move to indicate the current gear position. The structure of thegear indicator 35 is well known in the bicycle art. Thus, the gearindicator 35 will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein.

The clamping portion 41 is also fixedly coupled to the upper cover 40 a.Preferably, the clamping portion 41 is integrally formed as aone-unitary member with the upper cover 40 a. The clamping portion 41 ispreferably a split ring member forming an adjustable handlebar opening.A clamp bolt 41 a is operatively coupled to the clamping portion 41 toadjust the handlebar opening of the clamping portion 41 in aconventional manner. Thus, the clamping portion 41 is adapted to receivea portion of the handlebar 16 a therein. By tightening the bolt 41 a,the clamping portion 41 is squeezed about the handlebar 16 a to fixedlycouple the rear shift operating device 12 to the handlebar 16 a.

The shift cable adjusting unit 42 basically includes an adjusting bolt42 a and an adjusting nut 42 b. The cable adjusting unit 42 isoperatively coupled to the housing portion 40 by the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 as discussed below. The shift cableadjusting unit 42 is arranged to adjust the effective length of theinner wire 23 a in a conventional manner. In other words, the structureof the shift cable adjusting unit 42 is well known in the bicycle art.Thus, the shift cable adjusting unit 42 will not be discussed orillustrated in detail herein.

Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 10, the operating mechanism 32 basicallyincludes a first operating (pulling) member 51 mounted on a main axle52, a first biasing member 53, a second operating (releasing) member 54pivotally mounted on a secondary axle 55, and a second biasing member56. The operating mechanism 32 is designed to pull and release the innerwire 23 a. More specifically, when a rider pushes the first operatingmember 51, the movement of the first operating member 51 rotates theshift wire take-up element 33 to pull a predetermined amount of theinner wire 23 a into the housing portion 40. By pulling the inner wire23 a into the housing portion 40, the rear derailleur 18 a is moved in afirst lateral direction relative to the center plane of the bicycleframe 16. When a rider pushes the second operating member 54, themovement of the second operating member 54 rotates the shift wiretake-up element 33 to release a predetermined amount of the inner wire23 a out of the housing portion 40. By releasing the inner wire 23 a outof the housing portion 40, the rear derailleur 18 a is moved in a secondlateral direction, opposite to the first lateral direction, relative tothe center plane of the bicycle frame 16.

The first operating member 51 pivotally coupled to the housing portion40 by the main axle 52. The first biasing member 53 normally biases thefirst operating member 51 to the first rest position as shown in FIG.10. When the first operating member 51 is pushed and released, the firstoperating member 51 pivots about a main pivot axis of the main axle 52in a first operating direction between the first rest position as shownin FIG. 10 and a first wire operating position as shown in either FIG.11 or FIG. 13. Accordingly, the rotation of the first operating member51 about the main axle 52 causes the inner wire 23 a to the pulled intothe housing portion 40 and wound onto the shift wire take-up element 33.Thus, explained below, the first operating member 51 is operativelycoupled to the wire winding/release mechanism 34 which is arranged towind and release the shift wire take-up element 33 by predeterminedamount that corresponds to a single gear shift upon movement of thefirst operating member 51 from the rest position to the wire operatingposition.

Referring now to FIGS. 19, 20 and 21, the first operating member 51basically includes a main lever portion 51 a and an operating portion 51b that extends substantially perpendicular to the main lever portion 51a. The operating portion 51 b has a cap element 51 c that covers theoperating portion 51 b to form a button or engagement element that therider can engage, for example, with a thumb or a finger. Preferably, thefirst operating member 51 is constructed of a rigid, hard material suchas a metal plate, while the cap element 51 c is created from a softermaterial such as a plastic or elastomeric material.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21, the main lever portion 51 a has a mainpivot hole 51 d, a spring mounting hole 51 e, a cutout 51 f, an arcuatecontrol slot 51 g and a winding pawl support 51 h. The pivot hole 51 dreceives the main axle 52 therethrough such that the first operatingmember 51 pivots about the main pivot axis of the main axle 52. One endof the first biasing member 53 is located in the spring mounting hole 51e for biasing the first operating member 51 to the rest position. Thecutout 51 f is formed in the edge of the main lever portion 51 a such asto form a pair of main lever end stops 51 i that limit the pivotalmovement of the first operating member 51 about the main axle 52. Thearcuate control slot 51 g is arranged for limiting the relative movementof the second operating lever 54 relative to the first operating member51 as discussed below.

The winding pawl support 51 h is formed by punching or deforming themain lever portion 51 a. The winding pawl support 51 h extendingupwardly from the top side surface of the main lever portion 51 a forsupporting a part of the wire winding/release mechanism 34 as discussedbelow.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 19, the main axle 52 basically comprises anut 52 a, a bolt 52 b, a bushing 52 c, a washer 52 d and a locking clip52 e. The bolt 52 b and the nut 52 a of the main axle 52 are coupledtogether in a conventional manner to secure the first operating member51, the shift wire take-up element 33 and portions of the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 to the housing portion 40. The bushing 52 ccontacts the main lever portion 51 a of the first operating member 51such that a space is provided for the first biasing member 53. In otherwords, the bushing 52 c is sized such that when the nut 52 a istightened onto the bolt 52 b, the compressive forces from the nut 52 aand the bolt 52 b do not squeezed the first biasing member 53.

The washer 52 d has a cutout 52 f that engages a part of the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 such that the washer 52 d does not rotaterelative to the housing portion 40. The locking clip 52 e has four tabs52 g that are bent to engage the sides of the nut 52 a to preventinadvertent unloosening the nut 52 a relative to the bolt 52 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 28 and 29, the first biasing member 53 ispreferably torsion spring that is operatively coupled between the firstoperating member 51 and a portion of the wire winding/release mechanism34 that is fixed to the housing portion 40. The first biasing member 53is preloaded such that the first operating member 51 is urged by thefirst biasing member 53 about the main axle 52 into contact with astationary part of the wire winding/release mechanism 34 as discussedbelow. Accordingly, the first operating member 51 is urged by the firstbiasing member 53 about the main axle 52 from the wire operatingposition to the rest position. The first biasing member 53 has a firstfree end 53 a, a second free end 53 b and a coiled portion 53 c. Thefirst free end 53 a is received in the spring mounting hole 51 e of themain lever portion 51 a. The first second free end 53 b engages a partof the wire winding/release mechanism 34 as discussed below. The coiledportion 53 c is mounted about the main axle 52. The first biasing member53 is shown in an unloaded state in FIGS. 28 and 29.

Referring now to FIGS. 19, 20 and 21, the second operating member 54 isdisposed on the first operating member 51 such that the first and secondoperating members 51 and 54 at least partially move together about themain axle 52, when the second operating member 54 moves between a restposition and a wire operating position. More specifically, the secondoperating member 54 is arranged to initially move relative to the firstoperating member 51, and then subsequently move together when the secondoperating member 54 as the second operating member moves from the restposition to the wire operating position. Upon release of the secondoperating member 54, the first and second operating members 51 and 54are urged back to their rest positions by the first and second biasingmembers 53 and 56. More specifically, the first biasing member 53 urgesthe first and second operating members 51 and 54 to their rest positionsrelative to the housing portion 40, while the second biasing member 56urges the second operating member 54 to its rest position relative tothe first operating member 51. In other words, the second biasing member56 is arranged to normally urge the second operating member 54 from theintermediate position to its rest position.

The second operating member 54 is pivotally mounted on the main leverportion 51 a of the first operating member 51 by the secondary axle 55.The secondary axle 55 forms a secondary pivot axis that is parallel tothe main pivot axis of the main axle 52. As mentioned above, the secondoperating member 54 is arranged to at least partially pivot about thefirst pivot axis of the main axle 52 and to at least partially pivotabout the secondary pivot axis of the secondary axle 55. The secondarypivot axis of the secondary axle 55 is offset from the main pivot axisof the main axle 52 during the pivotal movement of the second operatingmember 54 from the rest position to the wire operating position. Inother words, when the second operating member 54 is initially pushedagainst the urging force of the second biasing member 56, the secondoperating member 54 initially rotates relative to the first operatingmember 51. Then, further movement of the second operating member 54causes the first and second operating members 51 and 54 can movetogether as a unit against the urging force of the first biasing member53 about the main pivot axis of the main axle 52. When the secondoperating member 54 initially rotates relative to the first operatingmember 51, the second operating member 54 cooperates with the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 such that the wire winding/releasemechanism 34 is switched from a winding operation to a releaseoperation. Accordingly, when the first and second operating members 51and 54 move together and then return to the rest position, the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 releases the shift wire take-up element 33by predetermined amount that corresponds to a single gear shift uponmovement of the second operating member 54 from the second rest positionto the second wire operating position and back to the second restposition.

Preferably, the second operating member 54 is constructed from a hardrigid material such as metal. The second operating member 54 basicallyincludes a main lever portion 54 a, a first leg portion 54 b and asecond leg portion 54 c. The first and second leg portions 54 b and 54 cextend substantially perpendicular to the main lever portion 54 a inopposite directions. The first leg portion 54 b extends through thearcuate control slot 51 g of the main lever portion 51 a of the firstoperating member 54, while the second leg portion 54 c is locatedoutside of the housing portion 40. The second leg portion 54 c has abutton or cap element 54 d mounted on the second leg portion 54 c so asto form a button or engagement member for the rider to press, forexample, with a thumb or a finger. In other words, a rider pushes thecap element 54 d to move the second operating member 54 from its restposition to its wire operating position. The main lever position 54 a ofthe second operating member 54 has a pivot hole 54 e that receives thesecondary axle 55 therethrough such that the second operating member 54is pivotally mounted on the first operating member 51.

Referring now to FIG. 19, the secondary axle 55 is preferably a pivotpin having a headed portion at one end and a groove with a c-clip at theother end. The headed portion of the secondary axle 55 contacts the mainlever portion 51 a of the first operating member 51 such that the secondoperating member 54 is pivotally mounted on the first operating member51.

Still referring now to FIG. 19, the second biasing member 56 ispreferably torsion spring having a pair of free ends 56 a and 56 b and acoiled portion 56 c located on the secondary axle 55. The free end 56 aof the second biasing member 56 engages the main lever portion 54 a ofthe second operating member 54, while the second free end 56 b of thesecond biasing member 56 contacts the main lever portion 51 a of thefirst operating member 51. Thus, the first and second operating members51 and 54 are arranged for limiting rotational movement relative to eachother against the biasing force of the secondary biasing member 56.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the shift wire take-up element 33 is preferablya plastic element that is pivotally mounted on the main axle 52. Theshift wire take-up element 33 is normally biased about the main axle 52by the spring (not shown) of the rear derailleur 18 a, which places theinner wire 23 a under tension. The pivotal movement of the shift wiretake-up element 33 is controlled by the wire winding/release mechanism34, as discussed below. The shift wire take-up element 33 has a centerpivot hole 33 a for receiving a main axle 52 therethrough such that theshift wire take-up element 33 is pivotally mounted on the main axle 52.Basically, the shift wire take-up element 33 is a winding member inwhich the inner wire 23 a is wound about the periphery of the shift wiretake-up element 33. Thus, the inner wire 23 a has one end fixedlycoupled to the shift wire take-up element 33 and the other endadjustably coupled to the rear derailleur 18 a in a conventional manner.In particular, the shift wire take-up element 33 has an inner wirereceiving bore 33 b that forms a cable attachment point such that theinner wire 23 is fixedly attached to the bore 33 b of the shift wiretake-up element 33. Preferably, an inner wire groove 33 c is formed onthe peripheral edge of the shift wire take-up element 33 for receivingthe inner wire 23 a as the shift wire take-up element 33 is rotated suchthat the inner wire 23 a is wound about the peripheral edge of the shiftwire take-up element 33. The bottom side surface of the shift wiretake-up element 33 has a non-circular projecting portion 33 d thatdefines a splined mounting shaft for a part of the wire winding/releasemechanism 34 as discussed below. Thus, the shift wire take-up element 33is fixed to the wire winding/release mechanism 34 such that therotational movement of the shift wire take-up element 33 is controlledby the wire winding/release mechanism 34 as discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 19, the wire winding/release mechanism 34 isarranged to wind the shift wire take-up element 33 by a predeterminedamount that corresponds to a single gear shift upon movement of thefirst operating member 51 by a predetermined amount. Moreover, the wirewinding/release mechanism 34 is arranged to release the shift wiretake-up element 33 by a predetermined amount that corresponds to asingle gear shift upon movement of the second operating member 54.However, the wire winding/release mechanism 34 can be rotated by thefirst operating member 51 such that the shift wire take-up element 33 iswound to correspond to a plurality of gear shifts. As best seen in FIG.7, the wire winding/release mechanism 34 basically includes a windingratchet member 61, an intermediate plate 62, a positioning element orpawl 63, a positioning pawl biasing element 64, a power switchingelement 65 and a release plate 66.

The winding ratchet member 61 is constructed of a hard rigid materialsuch a metal. The winding ratchet member 61 is fixedly mounted to rotatewith the shift wire take-up element 33. More specifically, the windingratchet member 61 has a non-circular mounting hole 61 a that correspondsto the non-circular projecting portion 33 d of the shift wire take-upelement 33. The shapes of the non-circular mounting hole 61 a and thenon-circular projecting portion 33 d are configured such that thewinding ratchet member 61 can only be mounted in one orientation on theshift wire take-up element 33. Thus, the shift wire take-up element 33and the winding ratchet member 61 rotate together about the main axle 52in response to the movements of the first and second operating members51 and 54;

The winding ratchet member 61 has a plurality of first winding teeth 61b located along a portion of its peripheral edge and a plurality ofsecond positioning teeth 61 c located along a second portion of itsperipheral edge. The winding teeth 61 b are arranged to selectivelyengage the power switching element 65, as discussed below such thatmovement of the first operating member 51 from its rest position to itswire operating position causes the winding ratchet member 61 and theshift wire take-up element 33 to rotate in a first operating directionto wind the inner wire 23 a about the periphery of the shift wiretake-up element 33. The second positioning teeth 61 c are arranged toselectively be engaged by the positioning pawl 63 to control themovement of the shift wire take-up element 33 upon operation of thefirst and second operating members 51 and 54. In other words, thepositioning pawl 63 selectively engages the second positioning teeth 61c of the winding ratchet member 61 to hold the shift wire take-upelement 33 in one of the shift positions after the shift wire take-upelement 33 has been advanced one shift position by the first operatingmember 51 and the first operating member 51 has been released from itswire operating position. Moreover, upon movement of the second operatingmember 54, the positioning pawl 63 selectively engages the secondpositioning teeth 61 c of the winding ratchet member 61 to allow theshift wire take-up element 33 to rotate one of the shift positions uponrelease of the second operating member 54 from its wire operatingposition.

The intermediate plate 62 is fixed to the upper cover 40 a of thehousing portion 40 such the intermediate plate 62 does not move relativeto the housing portion 40. The intermediate plate 62 is preferably ahard rigid member that is preferably constructed of a metal material.The intermediate plate 62 is a control plate that provides stop surfacesto limit the movements of the first operating member 51, the positioningpawl 63 and the release plate 66 relative to the housing portion 40. Theintermediate plate 62 also acts as a mounting plate for attaching theshift cable adjusting unit 42 to the housing portion 40. Moreover, theintermediate plate 62 acts as a support plate for pivotally mounting thepositioning pawl 63 to the housing portion 40 as discussed below.

The intermediate plate 62 is preferably fixedly secured to the uppercover 40 a of the housing portion 40 by a screw 67. The intermediateplate 62 basically has a plate or body section 62 a, a first stop orcontrol flange 62 b, a second stop or control flange 62 c and anadjusting unit mounting flange 62 d. The intermediate plate 62 ispreferably located between the winding ratchet member 61 and the releaseplate 66 on the main pivot axle 52. The intermediate plate 62 preferablysupports the positioning pawl 63 as discussed below.

Preferably, the body section 62 a of the intermediate plate 62 has amain pivot hole 62 e, a mounting hole 62 f, a position pawl mountinghole 62 g, a rest surface 62 h and a pair of weight reducing holes 62 i.The main pivot hole 62 e receives the shaft portion of the bolt 52 b ofthe main axle 52 therethrough. The mounting hole 62 f receives the screw67 therethrough for fixing the intermediate plate 62 to the housingportion 40.

The control flange 62 b extends perpendicular to the body section 62 a.The control flange 62 b has the second free end 53 b of the firstbiasing member 53 fixedly coupled thereto such that the first operatingmember 51 is bias to its rest position relative to the intermediateplate 62 which is fixed to the housing portion 40. The control flange 62b engages the washer 52 d of the main axle 52 such that the orientationof the washer 52 d is fixed, i.e., the washer 52 d does not rotate onthe bolt 52 b of the main axle 52. The control flange 62 b also providesstop surfaces to limit the movements of the first operating member 51,the positioning pawl 63 and the release plate 66 relative to the housingportion 40 as discussed below. Regarding first operating member 51, thecontrol flange 62 b is located in the cutout 51 f of the main leverportion 51 a of the first operating member 51 to limit the pivotmovement of the first operating member 51 relative to the housingportion 40.

The control flange 62 c preferably extends substantially perpendicularto the body section 62 a in the opposite direction from the controlflange 62 b. The control flange 62 c is arranged to limit the pivotalmovement of the positioning pawl 63 such that the positioning pawl 63 isnormal urged against the control flange 62 c by the positioning pawlbiasing element 64 as discussed below.

Referring back to FIGS. 3-5, the mounting flange 62 d is provided with athreaded hole 62 j for adjustably coupling the shift cable adjustingunit 42 thereto. In particular, the bolt 42 a is threaded into thethreaded hole 62 j of the mounting flange 62 d to hold the shift cableadjusting unit 42 in the correct position relative to the housingportion 40.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-9, the positioning pawl 63 is rotatablyattached to the intermediate plate 62 on a pivot pin 68 formed on theupper cover 40 a (see FIG. 19), and urged by the positioning pawlbiasing element 64 to operatively engage the second positioning teeth 61c of the winding ratchet member 61. Thus, the positioning pawl 63 isarranged to selectively engage the second positioning teeth 61 c of thewinding ratchet member 61 to hold the shift wire take-up element 33 inone of the shift positions. In other words, the positioning pawl 63selectively engages the second positioning teeth 61 c of the windingratchet member 61 to hold the shift wire take-up element 33 in one ofthe shift positions after the shift wire take-up element 33 has beenadvanced one shift position by the first operating member 51 and thefirst operating member 51 has been released from its wire operatingposition. Moreover, upon movement of the second operating member 54, thepositioning pawl 63 is rotated against the urging force of thepositioning pawl biasing element 64 such that the positioning pawl 63selectively engages the second positioning teeth 61 c of the windingratchet member 61 to allow the shift wire take-up element 33 to rotateone of the shift positions upon release of the second operating member54 from its wire operating position.

The positioning pawl 63 has a plate or body portion 63 a and a controlportion or flange 63 b that extends substantially perpendicular to theplate portion 63 a. The plate portion 63 a includes a first tooth 63 c,a second tooth 63 d and a stop flange 63 e. The first tooth 63 c and thesecond tooth 63 d selectively contact the second positioning teeth 61 cof the winding ratchet member 61 to control the movement of the windingratchet member 61 by the first and second operating members 51 and 54.More specifically, the positioning pawl 63 is normally biased by thepositioning pawl biasing element 64 such that the first tooth 63 c isnormally in contact with one of the teeth of the second positioningteeth 61 c such that the winding ratchet member 61 and the shift wiretake-up element 33 are normally held in one of the shift positions.

The first tooth 63 c and the second positioning teeth 61 c areconfigured such that a one-way ratcheting mechanism if formed betweenthe positioning pawl 63 and the winding ratchet member 61. Thus, whenthe winding ratchet member 61 is rotated in the first operatingdirection by the first operating member 51, the second positioning teeth61 c pivots the positioning pawl 63 against the urging force of thepositioning pawl biasing element 64 such that the first tooth 63 cratchets along the second positioning teeth 61 c to allow rotation ofthe winding ratchet member 61 and the shift wire take-up element 33 forwinding or pulling the inner wire 23 a. Once, the winding ratchet member61 and the shift wire take-up element 33 have rotated one shiftposition, the first tooth 63 c of the positioning pawl 63 engages thesecond positioning teeth 61 c to prevent the winding ratchet member 61and the shift wire take-up element 33 from rotation in a wire releasedirection.

The second tooth 63 d of the positioning pawl 63 is arranged relative tothe first tooth 63 c of the positioning pawl 63 and the secondpositioning teeth 61 c so as to control the release operation of thewinding ratchet member 61. More specifically, when the second operatingmember 54 is moved from its rest position to its wire operating(releasing) position, the first tooth 63 c of the positioning pawl 63 ismoved out of engagement from the second positioning teeth 61 c by therelease plate 66, and the second tooth 63 d of the positioning pawl 63moves into engagement with the second positioning teeth 61 c such thatthe winding ratchet member 61 can only move a limited amount the secondoperating (releasing) direction. When the second operating member 54 isreleased, the first tooth 63 c of the positioning pawl 63 reengages thesecond positioning teeth 61 c to prevent further rotational movement ofthe winding ratchet member 61 and the shift wire take-up element 33 inthe second operating (releasing) direction.

The stop flange 63 e is arranged to contact the stop or control flange62 c of the intermediate plate 62 to limit the amount of movement of thepositioning pawl 63. In other words, the positioning pawl biasingelement 64 normally biases the positioning pawl 63 about the pivot pin68 such that the stop flange 63 e rest against the stop flange 62 c ofthe intermediate plate 62 and the first tooth 63 c of the positioningpawl 63 is engaged with the second positioning teeth 61 c.

The positioning pawl biasing element 64 is preferably torsion spring.The positioning pawl biasing element 64 preferably has a pair of freeends 64 a and 64 b and a coiled portion 64 c positioned around the pivotpin 68. The free end 64 a contacts the plate or body portion 63 a of thepositioning pawl 63, while the second free end 64 b contacts an abutmentformed on the upper cover 40 a of the housing portion 40.

The power switching element 65 is a hard rigid plate member that isselectively arranged on the first operating member 51 to selectivelyengage the winding ratchet member 61 and the positioning pawl 63. Thepower switching element 65 is operatively coupled to the first operatingmember 51 to rotate the shift wire take-up element 33 to perform awinding operation upon movement of the first operating member 51 fromits rest position to its wire operating position. The power switchingelement 65 is also operatively coupled to the second operating member 54to move the positioning pawl 63 to release the shift wire take-upelement 33 to perform a release operation upon movement of the secondoperating member 54 from its rest position to its wire operating(releasing) position. Specifically, the power switching element 65 isarranged to be moved by the second operating member 54, when the secondoperating member 54 moves independently of the first operating member51, i.e., prior to the first operating member 51 moving with the secondoperating member 54. In other words, when the second operating member 54moves the power switching element 65 the release operation is performed.

The power switching element 65 basically includes a winding pawl portion65 a and a release mechanism driving portion 65 b. The winding pawlportion 65 a is arranged to selectively engage the first winding teeth61 b of the winding ratchet member 61 to perform the winding operationupon pivotal movement of the first operating member 51 from its restposition to the wire operating (pulling) position. The release mechanismdriving portion 65 b is arranged to selectively engage the release plate66 such that the release plate 66 is moved to disengage the first tooth63 c of the positioning pawl 63 from the second positioning teeth 61 cof the winding ratchet member 61 to perform the release operation uponpivotal movement of the second operating member 54 from its restposition to the wire operating (releasing) position. In other words, therelease mechanism driving portion 65 b is operatively coupled to thepositioning element to release the shift wire take-up element 33 toperform the release operation upon movement of the second operatingmember 54 from its rest position to its wire operating position.

The power switching element 65 is preferably mounted on the main leverportion 51 a by a pivot pin 69 to pivot between a winding position and arelease position. The pivot pin 69 is received in a pivot hole of thepower switching element 65 such that the power switching element 65pivots on the first operating member 51. More specifically, the powerswitching element 65 is arranged such that the initial movement of thesecond operating member 54 to its intermediate position causes thesecond operating member 54 to contact the power switching element 65.This contact between the second operating member 54 and the powerswitching element 65 results in the power switching element 65 beingpivoted about the axis of the pivot pin 69 such that the winding pawlportion 65 a is moved out of engagement from the first winding teeth 61b of the winding ratchet member 61 and the release mechanism drivingportion 65 b moves into engagement with the release plate 66.

A winding pawl biasing element 70 urges the power switching element 65such that the winding power portion 65 a is normally biased towards thefirst winding teeth 61 b of the winding ratchet member 61. However, whenthe first operating member 51 is in its rest position, the winding powerportion 65 a contacts a rest surface 62 h of the intermediate plate 62such that the winding power portion 65 a is out of engagement with thefirst winding teeth 61 b of the winding ratchet member 61. Thus, therelease mechanism driving portion 65 b is normally spaced from therelease plate 66. However, when the power switching element 65 isrotated by the second operating member 54, the power switching element65 rotates against the urging or biasing force of the winding pawlbiasing element 70 such that the release mechanism driving portion 65 bengages the release plate 66. Thus, further pivotal movement of thesecond operating member 54 from its intermediate position causes thefirst operating member 51 and the release plate 66 to rotate with thesecond operating member 54. In particular, as indicated in FIGS. 17 and19, the button or cap element 54 d forms a driving portion 54′ of thesecond operating member 54 that abuts or contacts an edge of the mainlever portion 51 a that forms a driven portion 51′ of the firstoperating member 51 such that further pivotal movement of the secondoperating member 54 from its intermediate position causes the firstoperating member 51 to rotate with the second operating member 54. Thisfurther pivotal movement of the second operating member 54 from itsintermediate position also causes the release plate 66 to rotate suchthat the positioning pawl engagement portion 66 c of the release plate66 engages the control portion or flange 63 b of the positioning pawl63. This engagement between the release plate 66 and the positioningpawl 63 causes the positioning pawl 63 to rotate about its pivot pin 68such that the first tooth 63 c of the positional pawl 63 is moved outengagement from the second positioning teeth 61 c, while the secondtooth 63 d is moved into engagement with the second positioning teeth 61c.

The winding pawl biasing element 70 is preferably torsion spring that isoperatively coupled between the first operating member 51 and a portionof the power switching element 65. The winding pawl biasing element 70has a first free end 70 a, a second free end 70 b and a coiled portion70 c. The first free end 70 a engages a part of the power switchingelement 65. The second free end 70 b engages a part of the firstoperating member 51. The coiled portion 70 c is mounted about the pivotpin 69.

The release mechanism driving portion 65 b includes a release surface 65c for engaging the release plate 66 to rotate the release plate 66. Thisrotation of release plate 66 cause the positional pawl 63 to move outengagement from the second positioning teeth 61 c such that the windingratchet member 61 is released. The release mechanism driving portion 65b also includes an engagement surface 65 d that is engaged by the firstleg portion 54 b of the second operating member 54 when the secondoperating member 54 is pushed from the rest position to an intermediateposition, i.e., prior to the first and second operating members 51 and54 rotating together about the main axle 52.

The release plate 66 is operatively coupled to the release mechanismdriving portion 65 b of the power switching element 65 and thepositioning pawl 63. Preferably, the release plate 66 is constructed ofa hard rigid material such as a metal material. The release plate 66basically has a center pivot hole 66 a that receives the main axle 52, awinding pawl engagement portion 66 b, a positioning pawl engagementportion 66 c and a cutout 66 d for limiting rotational movement of therelease plate 66.

The rotational movement of the release plate 66 is limited to pivotwithin a predetermined range by the control flange 62 b of theintermediate plate 62 that is located in the cutout 66 d of the releaseplate 66. The winding pawl engagement portion 66 b is configured andarranged to be selectively contacted by the release mechanism drivingportion 65 b of the power switching element 65. The positioning pawlengagement surface 66 c is arranged to selectively engage the controlportion 63 b of the positioning pawl 63. In other words, when the secondoperating member 54 is initially rotated to the intermediate position,the second operating member 54 pivots the power switching element 65about the pivot pin 69 such that the winding pawl portion 65 a isdisengaged from the first winding teeth 61 b of the winding ratchetmember 61. Also, this pivotal movement of the power switching element 65causes the release mechanism driving portion 65 b to contact the windingpart engagement portion 66 b of the release plate 66. This contactbetween the release plate 66 and the power switching element 65 causesthe release plate 66 to rotate about the main axle 52 such that thepositioning pawl engagement portion 66 c contacts the control portion 63b of the positioning pawl 63. This contact between the positional pawl63 and the release plate 66 causes the positioning pawl 63 to rotateabout the pivot pin 68 such that the first tooth 63 c is disengaged fromsecond positioning tooth 61 c and the second tooth 63 d is moved intoengagement with the second positioning tooth 61 c. Further rotationalmovement of the second operating member 54 causes the first operatingmember 51 to rotate together with the second operating member 54 as thesecond operating member 54 move from the intermediate position to thesecond wire operating position. In particular, as indicated in FIGS. 17and 19, the driving portion 54′ of the second operating member 54 abutsor contacts the driven portion 51′ of the first operating member 51 suchthat further pivotal movement of the second operating member 54 from itsintermediate position causes the first operating member 51 to rotatewith the second operating member 54.

This further pivotal movement of the second operating member 54 from itsintermediate position also causes the release plate 66 to rotate suchthat the positioning pawl engagement portion 66 c of the release plate66 engages the control portion 63 b of the positioning pawl 63. Thisengagement between the release plate 66 and the positioning pawl 63causes the positioning pawl 63 to rotate about its pivot pin 68 suchthat the first tooth 63 c of the positional pawl 63 is moved outengagement from the second positioning teeth 61 c, while the secondtooth 63 d is moved into engagement with the second positioning teeth 61c. Thus, this movement of the first operating member 51 by the secondoperating member 54 causes the power switching element 65 to move therelease plate 66 together with the first and second operating members 51and 54.

Second Embodiment

Referring now to FIG. 40, a front or left shift operating device 112 inaccordance with a second embodiment will now be explained. Basically,the shift operating device 112 is identical to the shift operatingdevice 12, except that the present invention has been adapted to a droptype of a handlebar 116 a and the winding ratchet member has fewerteeth. In other words, the internal mechanism of the shift operatingdevice 112 is identical to the shift operating device 12, except thatthe present invention has been adapted to the drop type handlebar 116 aand fewer teeth are used in the winding ratchet member. In view of thesimilarity between the first and second embodiments, the descriptions ofthe parts of this second embodiment have been omitted for the sake ofbrevity.

The operating mechanism of this embodiment basically includes a firstoperating (pulling lever) member 151 mounted on a main axle and a secondoperating (releasing lever) member 154 pivotally mounted on a secondaryaxle 55. The shift operating (shifting) levers 151 and 154 are moved insubstantially the same rotational direction as in the first embodiment.The operating mechanism 32 is designed to pull and release the innerwire 24 a to operate the front derailleur 18 b shown in FIG. 1. Morespecifically, when a rider pushes the first operating member 151, themovement of the first operating member 151 rotates the shift wiretake-up element to pull a predetermined amount of the inner wire 24 a.By pulling the inner wire 24 a, the front derailleur 18 b is moved in afirst lateral direction relative to the center plane of the bicycleframe 16. When a rider pushes the second operating member 154, themovement of the second operating member 154 rotates the shift wiretake-up element to release a predetermined amount of the inner wire 24a. By releasing the inner wire 24 a, the front derailleur 18 b is movedin a second lateral direction, opposite to the first lateral direction,relative to the center plane of the bicycle frame 16.

In this embodiment, the first operating (pulling) member 151 is also abrake lever as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,878. The first operating(pulling) member 151 is pivotally coupled to the housing 140 in the samemanner as the brake lever as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,878.

The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately”as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modifiedterm such that the end result is not significantly changed. These termsshould be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of themodified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the wordit modifies.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of theembodiments according to the present invention are provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A bicycle shift operating device comprising: a first operating memberarranged to move between a first rest position and a first wireoperating position; a second operating member arranged to move between asecond rest position and a second wire operating position, the secondoperating member being operatively coupled to the first operating memberto move with the first operating member during movement of the firstoperating member from the first rest position to the first wireoperating position, and to move the first operating member duringmovement of the second operating member from the second rest position tothe second wire operating position, the first and second operatingmembers being configured and arranged to move in substantially the samedirections when moved from the first and second rest positions to thefirst and second wire operating positions, respectively; a shift wiretake-up element arranged to rotate in a first rotational direction inresponse to movement of the first operating member from the first restposition to the first wire operating position, and arranged to rotate ina second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotationaldirection in response to movement of the second operating member fromthe second rest position to the second wire operating position; and awire winding/release mechanism operatively coupled to the shift wiretake-up element and the first and second operating members toselectively hold the shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality ofshift positions.
 2. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 1, wherein the first operating member is arranged to move about amain pivot axis of the shift wire take-up element in the firstrotational direction upon the movement of the first operating memberfrom the first rest position to the first wire operating position, andthe second operating member is arranged to move about the main pivotaxis of the shift wire take-up element in the first rotational directionupon the movement of the second operating member from the second restposition to the second wire operating position.
 3. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 1, wherein the second operatingmember is disposed on the first operating member.
 4. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 3, wherein the second operatingmember is movably mounted on the first operating member to at leastpartially move independently of the first operating member.
 5. Thebicycle shift operating device according to claim 1, wherein the secondoperating member is arranged to at least partially move independently ofthe first operating member.
 6. The bicycle shift operating deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the second operating member is arranged toabut the first operating member during the movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position to move the first operating member with the secondoperating member.
 7. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 6, wherein the second operating member is further arranged to atleast partially move independently of the first operating member priorto the first operating member moving with the second operating member.8. The bicycle shift operating device according to claim 7, wherein thewire winding/release mechanism includes a power switching elementoperatively coupled to the first operating member to rotate the shiftwire take-up element to perform a winding operation upon the movement ofthe first operating member from the first rest position to the firstwire operating position, and the power switching element beingoperatively coupled to the second operating member to release the shiftwire take-up element to perform a release operation upon the movement ofthe second operating member from the second rest position to the secondwire operating position.
 9. The bicycle shift operating device accordingto claim 8, wherein the second operating member and the power switchingelement are further arranged to move the power switching element toperform the release operation when the second operating member movesindependently of the first operating member prior to the first operatingmember moving with the second operating member.
 10. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 1, wherein the wire winding/releasemechanism includes a ratchet member mounted to rotate with the shiftwire take-up element, a positioning element arranged to selectivelyengage the ratchet member to hold the shift wire take-up element in oneof the shift positions, and a power switching element arranged toselectively engage the ratchet member and the positioning element, thepower switching element being operatively coupled to the first operatingmember to rotate the shift wire take-up element to perform a windingoperation upon movement of the first operating member from the firstrest position to the first wire operating position, and the powerswitching element being operatively coupled to the second operatingmember to move the positioning element to release the shift wire take-upelement to perform a release operation upon movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position.
 11. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 10, wherein the power switching element includes a winding pawlportion and a release mechanism driving portion, the winding pawlportion being arranged to engage the ratchet member to perform thewinding operation upon movement of the first operating member from thefirst rest position to the first wire operating position, the releasemechanism driving portion being arranged to operatively coupled to thepositioning element to release the shift wire take-up element to performthe release operation upon movement of the second operating member fromthe second rest position to the second wire operating position.
 12. Thebicycle shift operating device according to claim 11, wherein the wirewinding/release mechanism further comprising a release plate beingoperatively coupled to the release mechanism driving portion of thepower switching element and the positioning element.
 13. The bicycleshift operating device according to claim 1, wherein the wirewinding/release mechanism is arranged to wind the shift wire take-upelement by a predetermined amount that corresponds to a singlegear-shift upon movement of the first operating member from the firstrest position to the first wire operating position, and the wirewinding/release mechanism is further arranged to release the shift wiretake-up element by the predetermined amount that corresponds to thesingle gear shift upon movement of the second operating member from thesecond rest position to the second wire operating position and back tothe second rest position.
 14. A bicycle shift operating devicecomprising: a first operating member arranged to pivot about a mainpivot axis in a first operating direction from a first rest position toa first wire operating position, the first operating member beingnormally biased toward the first rest position from the first wireoperating position to form a trigger action arrangement; a secondoperating member arranged to at least partially pivot about the mainpivot axis during movement of the second operating member from a secondrest position to a second wire operating position and to at leastpartially pivot about a second pivot axis that is offset from the mainpivot axis during movement of the second operating member from thesecond rest position to the second wire operating position; a shift wiretake-up element mounted on the main pivot axis to rotate in a firstrotational direction in response to movement of the first operatingmember from the first rest position to the first wire operating positionand to rotate in a second rotational direction that is opposite to thefirst rotational direction in response to movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position; and a wire winding/release mechanism operativelycoupled to the shift wire take-up element and the first and secondoperating members to selectively hold the shift wire take-up element inone of a plurality of shift positions.
 15. The bicycle shift operatingdevice according to claim 14, wherein the second operating member isarranged to initially pivot about the second pivot axis and thensubsequently pivot about the main pivot axis during movement of thesecond operating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position.
 16. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 14, wherein the second operating member is operatively coupled tothe first operating member to move with the first operating memberduring the movement of the first operating member from the first restposition to the first wire operating position, and to move the firstoperating member during the movement of the second operating member fromthe second rest position to the second wire operating position.
 17. Thebicycle shift operating device according to claim 14, wherein the secondoperating member is disposed on the first operating member.
 18. Thebicycle shift operating device according to claim 17, wherein the secondoperating member is movably mounted on the first operating member to atleast partially move independently of the first operating member. 19.The bicycle shift operating device according to claim 14, wherein thesecond operating member is arranged to at least partially moveindependently of the first operating member.
 20. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 14, wherein the second operatingmember is arranged to abut the first operating member during themovement of the second operating member from the second rest position tothe second wire operating position to move the first operating memberwith the second operating member.
 21. The bicycle shift operating deviceaccording to claim 20, wherein the second operating member is furtherarranged to at least partially move independently of the first operatingmember prior to the first operating member moving with the secondoperating member.
 22. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 21, wherein the wire winding/release mechanism includes a powerswitching element operatively coupled to the first operating member torotate the shift wire take-up element to perform a winding operationupon the movement of the first operating member from the first restposition to the first wire operating position, and the power switchingelement being operatively coupled to the second operating member torelease the shift wire take-up element to perform a release operationupon the movement of the second operating member from the second restposition to the second wire operating position.
 23. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 22, wherein the second operatingmember and the power switching element are further arranged to move thepower switching element to perform the release operation when the secondoperating member moves independently of the first operating member priorto the first operating member moving with the second operating member.24. The bicycle shift operating device according to claim 14, whereinthe wire winding/release mechanism includes a ratchet member mounted torotate with the shift wire take-up element, a positioning elementarranged to selectively engage the ratchet member to hold the shift wiretake-up element in one of the shift positions, and a power switchingelement arranged to selectively engage the ratchet member and thepositioning element, the power switching element being operativelycoupled to the first operating member to rotate the shift wire take-upelement to perform a winding operation upon movement of the firstoperating member from the first rest position to the first wireoperating position, and the power switching element being operativelycoupled to the second operating member to move the positioning elementto release the shift wire take-up element to perform a release operationupon movement of the second operating member from the second restposition to the second wire operating position.
 25. The bicycle shiftoperating device according to claim 24, wherein the power switchingelement includes a winding pawl portion and a release mechanism drivingportion, the winding pawl portion being arranged to engage the ratchetmember to perform the winding operation upon movement of the firstoperating member from the first rest position to the first wireoperating position, the release mechanism driving portion being arrangedto operatively coupled to the positioning element to release the shiftwire take-up element to perform the release operation upon movement ofthe second operating member from the second rest position to the secondwire operating position.
 26. The bicycle shift operating deviceaccording to claim 25, wherein the wire winding/release mechanismfurther comprising a release plate being operatively coupled to therelease mechanism driving portion of the power switching element and thepositioning element.
 27. The bicycle shift operating device according toclaim 14, wherein the wire winding/release mechanism is arranged to windthe shift wire take-up element by a predetermined amount thatcorresponds to a single gear shift upon movement of the first operatingmember from the first rest position to the first wire operatingposition, and the wire winding/release mechanism is further arranged torelease the shift wire take-up element by the predetermined amount thatcorresponds to the single gear shift upon movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position and back to the second rest position.
 28. The bicycleshift operating device according to claim 14, wherein the firstoperating member is arranged to move from the first rest position to thefirst wire operating position to cause a first shift operation, and thesecond operating member is arranged to move from the second restposition to the second wire operating position to cause a second shiftoperation in which the second operating member initially moves from thesecond rest position to an engagement position when pivoting about oneof the main and second pivot axes and then moves from the engagementposition to the second wire operating position when pivoted about theother of the main and second pivot axes such that the second shiftoperation is prevented prior to movement of the second operating memberto the engagement position.
 29. The bicycle shift operating deviceaccording to claim 14, wherein the first and second operating membersare configured and arranged to move in substantially the same rotationaldirections when moved from the first and second rest positions to thefirst and second wire operating positions, respectively.
 30. A bicycleshift operating device comprising: a first operating member arranged tomove between a first rest position and a first wire operating position;a second operating member arranged to move between a second restposition and a second wire operating position; a shift wire take-upelement arranged to rotate in a first rotational direction upon themovement of the first operating member from the first rest position tothe first wire operating position, and arranged to rotate in a secondrotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational directionupon the movement of the second operating member from the second restposition to the second wire operating position; and a wirewinding/release mechanism operatively coupled to the shift wire take-upelement and the first and second operating members to selectively holdthe shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality of shift positions,the wire winding/release mechanism including a power switching elementoperatively coupling the shift wire take-up element to the firstoperating member to wind the shift wire take-up element upon movement ofthe first operating member from the first rest position to the firstwire operating position, and the power switching element operativelycoupling the shift wire take-up element to the second operating memberto release the shift wire take-up element upon movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position, the power switching element including a firstportion that engages the shift wire take-up element to rotate the shiftwire take-up element in the first rotational direction in response tomovement of the first operating member from the first rest position tothe first wire operating, and a second portion arranged to release theshift wire take-up element to allow limited rotation of the shift wiretake-up element in the second rotational direction in response tomovement of the second operating member from the second rest position tothe second wire operating position, the first and second portions of thepower switching element being non-movable relative to each other.
 31. Abicycle shift operating device comprising: a first operating memberarranged to move between a first rest position and a first wireoperating position; a second operating member arranged to move between asecond rest position and a second wire operating position; a shift wiretake-up element arranged to rotate in a first rotational direction uponthe movement of the first operating member from the first rest positionto the first wire operating position, and arranged to rotate in a secondrotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational directionupon the movement of the second operating member from the second restposition to the second wire operating position; and a wirewinding/release mechanism operatively coupled to the shift wire take-upelement and the first and second operating members to selectively holdthe shift wire take-up element in one of a plurality of shift positions,the wire winding/release mechanism including a power switching elementoperatively coupling the shift wire take-up element to the firstoperating member to wind the shift wire take-up element upon movement ofthe first operating member from the first rest position to the firstwire operating position, and the power switching element operativelycoupling the shift wire take-up element to the second operating memberto release the shift wire take-up element upon movement of the secondoperating member from the second rest position to the second wireoperating position, the power switching element including a firstportion that engages the shift wire take-up element to rotate the shiftwire take-up element in the first rotational direction in response tomovement of the first operating member from the first rest position tothe first wire operating, and a second portion arranged to release theshift wire take-up element to allow limited rotation of the shift wiretake-up element in the second rotational direction in response tomovement of the second operating member from the second rest position tothe second wire operating position, and the first and second portions ofthe power switching element being disengaged from the shift wire take-upelement when the first and second operating members are in the first andsecond rest positions, respectively.